EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal broke down in tears, following her latest performance in Strictly Come Dancing. Returning to the ballroom on Saturday, the actor, who is paired up with Julian Caillon, scored high praise from the judges after dancing the Viennese waltz to "Never Enough" from The Greatest Showman.
"I love you more than ever now. This was epic," judge Anton du Beke raved. "Making an entrance is everything, and as you walked on, you looked absolutely stunning. You brought everybody in, it was an exquisite beginning."
Echoing this sentiment, Shirley Ballas said: "You danced with a freedom that I've only seen in your Instant Dance. You will always be a hero for me. Coming back to dance that kind of performance, I have chills."
Meanwhile, Craig Revel Horwood, known for his critical remarks, noted that Sopal needed to improve the positioning of her arms, before musing: "It had flow, feeling, emotion. You are a fighter."
"You were in a different type of feeling and I felt like whatever you wanted to say came out through that dance," added Motsi Mabuse, who offered Sopal a hug. "What you have been through must be demoralising."
Visibly emotional, Sopal, who has found herself at risk of elimination several times, and her partner, Caillon, went on to receive an impressive score of 35, which is the TV star's highest of the season so far.
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Following Saturday's show, Caillon took to Instagram, where he penned a sweet tribute to Sopal. "From now on @leesopal will never doubt that she's enough!" he quipped in the caption.
"I'm so proud of her, and she deserves this moment! If you want to help us get to the semi, make sure to get voting, the competition is so close! Lots of love."
Fans have also voiced their praise for Sopal on social media, with one tweeting: "Balvinder doing the dance to 'Never Enough' after she's placed on the bottom so many times and the public haven't been behind her. I hope the public gets the message that Balvinder has brought during this song. What an icon."
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"You know what? I don't care anymore, I want Balvinder to win this whole competition," declared a second. "I am in tears. That was beautiful from our amazing woman, Balvinder, and Julien. Honestly, her strength to come back week after week and then give us that performance - nothing short of magical. I adore her!" wrote a third.
Of course, fans will have to wait until Sunday's results show to find out if Sopal has made it to the semi-final, which will commence on Saturday, 13 December. Also in with a chance of winning the coveted Glitterball are the other remaining couples: Amber Davies & Nikita Kuzmin, George Clarke and Alexis Warr, Lewis Cope and Katya Jones, and Karen Carney and Carlos Gu.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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